STRONGER FAITH

STRONGER FAITH

Stronger Faith Starts Here!

Do you want stronger faith too?

Ask yourself the question, “Do you have stronger faith than a year ago at this time?” God tells us in the Bible, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Do you think your faith increasesbecause you become more aware of all the blessings that God has given you? I trust that God has a plan for your life, a plan not to harm you but give you hope.

Doubts are not from God

When you question your faith, take a minute to think to yourself of some of the things that God has done in your life already. Doing this will help stop those thoughts from tempting you to doubt. Those thoughts are not from God, they are from the evil one. Remember that the Bible teaches us that in the end, God is victorious and Satan is defeated. ~ Bill Greguska

Pastor Ron and Sue both did all they could do to help keep my marriage together. Until my ex-decided, she wanted to rediscover her life and divorced me. This all happened when Pastor Ron was our pastor at Redeemer Evangelical Free Church in 2003.

Pastor Ron and Sue poured into me a lot of time and a lot of wisdom. Their help was critical during this very difficult time in my life. I did what they told me that I needed to do. But my ex-was not on the same page which made things virtually impossible to reconcile our marriage. After the divorce was over in 2007, Sue still kept in touch with me pointing me to Jesus and helping me get my life back on track via emails, texts on a regular basis, and phone calls once in a while too. I got stronger faith the more I communicated with Sue.

Pointing me to Jesus and getting back on track

After the divorce was over in 2007, Sue still kept in touch with me pointing me to Jesus and helping me get my life back on track via emails, texts on a regular basis, and phone calls once in a while too. I believe in my heart that Mark Mallwits, and Sue Sauer were sent to me by God. The reason I say this is because of how much time and energy they poured into helping me! I still remember asking Ron and Sue, “What can I give you, or what can I do for you for all of the help you have given me?” They told me, “All they wanted me to do was to encourage others with the encouragement that I have received from Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

That is when I felt that God put it on my heart to start a phone ministry. I called it the Encouragement Help Line, and then in 2007, I started NeedEncouragement.com. This all would not have happened if Pastor Ron and Sue would not have told me to encourage other like I was encouraged.

Mark Mallwitz has helped me get stronger faith in God by the things he taught me and the way he taught me how to love and serve others by his example!

Being blessed to have Mark as one of the key people to not only lead me to the Lord but to help keep me on track and to get a stronger faith since about 1990. Mark and Lisa have had their Bible study at their home for about 30 every Wednesday night. Even though they lived out in Menomonee Falls, I still drove across town. I did this for almost all since the beginning because it was such a good Bible study.

Mark has been a very good friend and also a mentor to me ever since we met back through Elmbrook church Bible study at Jack Leonard’s house.

It was great that Mark became a pastor a number of years ago after following a prompting to end his business career. He went into full-time ministry with BASICS in Milwaukee. Mark told me something like, “People do not want to know how much you know, they want to know how much you care.” Mark has not only been a source of wisdom for me which has helped me get stronger faith, but he has shown me with his actions how much he cared for me, he was there for me when my mom dies, when I was going through my divorce, helped me get a couple jobs, encouraged me when I was depressed and confused about life.

Mom helped me get stronger faith by the love she demonstrated towards me!

Of all the people in my life, my mom was the one who was always there for me. She helped to build stronger faith into me. My mom was a very wise woman, she knew a bit about the Bible, although being raised Catholic she was pretty sheltered for reading the Bible. My mom displayed love as well as having a special ability to comfort, encourage, and motivate me when I needed it the most.

Mom used basketball as a leverage for me to not only behave in school (which I did my best) but also to get passing grades. She helped to give me stronger faith during my drug and alcohol years, high school problems, all the treatment centers I was in. Mom was always there for me. She set a good example to me on how to live my life. Then when I got stronger faith by attending church regularly, reading my Bible, and getting right with God.

My mom had my back covered to say in a way, so when she lost her 2nd husband, I took care of her the last 8 years of her life. I am very glad I could help take care of her in her golden years until she died. We made a good team because we worked together and communicated well, not to mention that we had mutual respect and love for each other, what a great mom I was blessed with!

Because of Mike Hayden teaching me about the Holy Spirit, I got stronger faith in God and my walk with God improved greatly!

Back in about 1992, I broke up with a girlfriend who attended Elmbrook church with me, I was not feeling comfortable attending church while she was still going there because the break up was so new. So I decided to try going to Eastbrook church temporarily which turned into about 6 weeks because I stumbled across a Bible study that Mike Hayden was leading which happened to be about the Holy Spirit.

I was recently born again in 1986 so I kind of was a newer Christian. While attending his class, I learned something that I really never knew before, which had to do with the Holy Spirit. The teaching gave me stronger faith by instructing me about something I knew very little about. I would call it a missing link of wisdom that up until that point I did not have too much of a clue about.

There were many people in my life that gave me stronger faith, and Mike was one of them. I also recall a gasoline attendant named Shawn O’Gorman. I remember playing basketball at Hart Park. While walking bye to get on a bus, Shawn was right there on the corner of Haley Road and Wisconsin Avenue. He had his small Bible in his hand and asked me some religious questions. Namely about my salvation and where I was going when I died? His openness and friendliness were inviting to me especially because I had an interest in God. I thank all those people who had an influence on building a stronger faith in me via the Holy Spirit.

Bill Marris has gotten stronger faith by knowing and loving Jesus Christ more and more over the years.

Bill Marris

Bill is a personable, intelligent, gifted teacher of the word of God, and he is a friend of mine. I have been going to his Campfire Campfire Convocations for a couple years now.

The campfire Convocations are located in a beautiful setting on the edge of the woods, and the teaching is very Biblical because it is seeing things through the eyes of the Jewish people. Bill Marris is an excellent teacher! It is located in Hartland Wisconsin. View his links above.

An Analogy Of What Is Stronger Faith Is Like!

Having confidence that when we sit on a chair. It is critical that the chair will be able to support us. As a person grows in their Christian life, their faith in God is like sitting in a chair, not doubting every time they sit down whether or not the chair (God) will hold them up. Our faith in God should be just like that! The important thing is not necessarily the person’s faith, but whom or what the person puts their faith in. Is your belief in God, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit? Or is your faith is someone or something else that will ultimately let you down at some point? Ask yourself, do I have enough faith? And is that faith in someone trustworthy such as God?

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 I have put my trust in both people and things. The times when I have put my faith in people, I am always disappointed and end up sad. When I put my belief in something like basketball or anything else that has caught my eyes. I again become let down and disappointed. God tells us in his word that we ought not to have any other gods before us. That means people or things that cloud our perspective and block our focus on God off. Do not let Satan tempt you to doubt your faith when the thought comes into your mind, “Do I have enough faith?”

Do You Want Stronger Faith In God And Do His Will?

Praying to God over and over, and your prayers have not answered the way you wanted them to be answered, and then a person could reason that their faith was useless. Although, through my experience I remember praying and praying about things, and not getting my prayer answered, later on, to discover that it would not have been best that my prayer got responded to the way I asked.

What I was praying for was that I would make it into the NBA when I was in grade school and high school. Yes, I was somewhat disappointed. It dawned on me knowing how much I do not like to travel, and being in the NBA would mean a lot of traveling! I am sure that you can think of a time when you felt disappointed. Only later to realize that everything was going to work out for the best. God is in control, and He knows what is best for you and me. He has proven that to me time after time again! Can you think of your analogy about faith?